William Malcom McLeod 1830 – 1918 To New Zealand Part B

Sponsorship

In July 1854 the New Zealand Government announced a policy whereby ‘persons resident in the province will be able to send for their relatives, friends and acquaintances from England, on making early application... The rate of passage money for adults will be £20… Each adult will be allowed to bring free of cost a quarter of a ton of personal baggage...when the settlers are aware that they can send for mechanics, labourers, shepherds, or domestic servants on the above conditions, by naming some person in England who will undertake to engage them..the Government has provided for the protection of the parties on whose application the emigrant is brought out, by requiring a promissory note, payable on demand, previous to his embarkation, to the shipping agents, by whom it will be forwarded to the Provincial Government.’

Alexander Sutherland had arrived in New Zealand in early 1840 and was now well established. What a great opportunity for him to be able to send for his two reliable, experienced shepherd nephews to work on his expanding properties. There must have been correspondence for some time between William and James and their uncle Alexander Sutherland in New Zealand who sponsored them. With the generous personal baggage allowance of a quarter of a ton it was likely that farm tools and such useful items could be stowed. 

The Voyage Out

The Ship Maori

The sailing ship ‘Maori’ left London on 9 July 1855 with William and James McLeod on board. The ‘Maori’ was built in 1851 at Sunderland, County Durham, for Mr C Tebbut and operated by Willis, Gann & Co, Shipping Agents. A wooden ship, she made three visits to Nelson in 1851, 53 and 55 under the command of Captain Petherbridge. The Maori was a ship of 800 tons, but for her size was a very slow sailer, her average passages taking about 120 days. The1855 trip was 107 days. In 1860 she was chartered by Shaw, Savill & Co to bring out immigrants to New Zealand. The Maori was lost at sea in 1890. 

Embarkation

I don’t know how William and James got to London to meet their ship. They may have gone by boat from Edinburgh or Glasgow. At London the cargo being carried was loaded and steerage passengers boarded, then the ship would be towed by steam tug to Gravesend where cabin passengers boarded. 

The website at https://teara.govt.nz/en/the-voyage-out  gives helpful information about typical emigrant voyages to New Zealand in the nineteenth century. The following is from this website.

The Route

From the 1840s ships bound for New Zealand went south-west down the north Atlantic, south-east to Cape Town then swung wide round the Cape of Good Hope into the ‘roaring forties’ – westerly winds that took ships along at great speed. Vessels were sailed as far south as their captains dared, to catch the stronger winds, but there was always a risk of violent storms and icebergs. On a typical voyage, all sorts of conditions were encountered from storms to equatorial doldrums and incessant sun, to pleasant sailing.

Steerage

William and James were steerage passengers. Britain’s class distinctions continued on board. Privileged cabin passengers had more space, privacy and better food. Steerage was a low ceilinged space beneath the main deck. Steerage passengers slept in tiers on bunks. They were provided with mattresses, but not bedding. Bunk space was cramped. The headroom between decks could be as little as 1.8 metres. Steerage was divided into three compartments: single men occupied the forward area next to the crew’s quarters; single women were aft; and married couples were in the middle. Separate hatchways gave access to each compartment. As was common, on this voyage there were a lot more steerage passengers including children, than those in cabins.

Emigrant Ship between decks, 1850. Illustrated London News issue 17 August 1850. Married couples compartment. 

The sailing ships were often infested with pests such as vermin and cockroaches. The latrines stunk as did the animals that were kept on board to supplement the diet of cabin passengers.  The steerage compartments flooded when waves broke over the ship leaving beds almost constantly wet. 

Food

Those in steerage survived on salted and preserved meat, ships biscuits, flour, oatmeal and dried potatoes. The food was coarse, monotonous and not nutritious. There were different arrangements in cabin and steerage for cooking and serving food. The crew cooked and served for cabin passengers. The emigrants in steerage were divided into messes of about six people, and stores were handed out to each mess and they cooked their own food. After 1855 food was cooked for passengers in a central galley in common pots. Steerage passengers were each allowed 3.4 litres of fresh water a day. But water stored in barrels often deteriorated and became un-drinkable in a couple of months. Passengers would try to catch rain water.

Dinner on board. Illustrated London news, 10 May 1851.

Hygiene

Lack of fresh water made keeping clean difficult. In the tropics men could swim or were hosed down on deck by sailors. Women were denied these opportunities.

Landing

Anticipation mounted as voyages neared their end. Immigrants would be on deck before daybreak to watch for signs of their new home. Vessels that arrived with disease or sick passengers would be quarantined with passengers and bedding disinfected. On 23 October 107 days from departure, the Maori landed in Nelson.  The letters state the ship was at Blind Bay off Nelson. Blind Bay was an alternative name for Tasman Bay. The port at Nelson, Tasman Bay was by 1855 busy but large vessels had to pay attention to the depth of the harbour. The first deep water wharf was not built until 1856.

While I do not have any diary records of this voyage, the letters from passengers to the Captain indicate it was a reasonably pleasant voyage.

Fox, William, 1812-1893, “View of Blind Bay from W. Fox’s house” 1847 otago.ourheritage.ac.nz

To Wellington

Some cargo was unloaded at Nelson then on October 27 the Maori left for Wellington with 15 cabin passengers and 26 steerage passengers which must have included William and James.

I have no doubt William and James would have received a very warm welcome to Port Nicholson, Wellington by the Sutherland family.

Te Aro Flat, Wellington, 1857

In a letter from Lyall's Bay, Wellington, dated 29 December 1855 to his brother-in-law John McLeod in Scotland, Alex Sutherland says:

• Mr John McLeod, Dear Sir, Your two sons William and James, arrived safe and are comfortably situated up the country in my employment…

Note: Mrs and Mrs M'Leod are listed as steerage passengers but this is clearly an entry error as the signed letters to Captain C G Petherbridge on the same page of the paper have the names of William M’Leod and James M’Leod listed. Source of articles above: Papers Past; Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. 

William Malcom McLeod 1830 – 1918 Scotland Part A

William Malcom McLeod was born in Rumsdale, Caithness and baptised in the Halkirk Parish (probably in the mission church at Achreny) on 8 June 1830. Alexander Sutherland and Christian Gunn were witnesses. My guess is that the witness Alexander Sutherland was Christina’s brother who may have been still living at Badbea.

William was named, according to Scottish naming patterns, after his mother’s father William Sutherland, plus in remembrance of his mother’s two brothers named Malcom who both drowned in separate incidents.

William appeared on the 1841 census, 9 years old and living at home in Rumsdale with his parents and siblings, Mary, Esther, James, Janet, and Farquhar. There are two young men Agricultural Labourers (Ag Lab) also living in the house.

The children are not shown as going to school but I think they would have at least gone to school in the winter. John and Christina saw the education of their children as being important and letters later written by William show he had a good grasp of English.

The New Statistical Account of Scotland (1840) Vol XV Chapter - Caithness pg 81 says there were 13 schools in the Halkirk Parish most of which were supported by the parents of the children. Subjects taught were reading, writing, arithmetic, english grammar, latin and book-keeping. 

• Quote: That the people are alive to the benefits of education is evident from their supporting so many schools at their own charges to instruct their children in the elements of reading, writing and arithmetic.

Rumsdale to Backlass John Thomson's Atlas of Scotland 1832

In the 1851 census William aged 20 had got a job at Backlass in the Halkirk parish as a shepherd. From his years at Rumsdale, William would have had a good training in the skills needed as a shepherd. His sister Elizabeth was living there probably helping run the house. Younger brother Farquhar was living there as well and going to school. There was a school at Backlass.

Backlass farm in the distance. While the area looks flat the land was marshy and swampy and not the best country on which to farm sheep.

Backlass Stone Circle and now deserted farm buildings in distance

According to family stories William next went to work on Orkney. Younger brother James was said to be there with him. 

Since lads William and James would have heard stories of Uncle Alexander Sutherland who with his wife Elizabeth McKay emigrated to New Zealand in1839. Although both William and James McLeod were working as shepherds in Scotland, land ownership would have never been a possibility, but they would have heard their Uncle Alexander (aka Sandy) had taken up land in New Zealand. The McLeod sons William and James were offered sponsorship by their uncle Alexander Sutherland.

Leaving for New Zealand Part B  - To be continued.